Famous American singer Taylor Swift has found herself embroiled in yet another controversy post the release of her 12th album. showgirl life. Fans around the world are currently accusing her of using AI in her promotional videos. It was released this weekend on Google in the form of a scavenger hunt.
The 35-year-old is a longtime supporter of artistic ownership and took back her recordings earlier this year. She also stood up against the use of AI during the 2023 strikes and was a member of SAG-AFTRA.
Swift has spoken out against the use of AI, particularly after President Donald Trump shared an AI-generated image of her in support of his campaign last year.
Fans are unhappy about how she allegedly reversed her statement considering her anti-AI stance in the past.
Campaign details
Last week, an internet search for the singer's name yielded a cryptic message: “Video to unlock 12 cities, 12 doors, 1 video.” This was the beginning of her album's marketing campaign, which was supported by Google.
The cities in question were Melbourne, London, Chicago, Nashville, Tennessee, New York, Paris, Milan, Berlin, Santa Monica, California, Las Vegas, Barcelona, and Beverly Grove, California.
Each video ended up offering a word that was supposed to combine into the message: “You all need to remember, but mostly this: The crowd is your king.”
Fans found 12 unique videos containing clues to find these physical orange doors, scan QR codes, and solve puzzles. When you type the correct phrase into Google, another virtual orange door will appear. Fans had to collectively “knock” on the door by clicking 12 million times.
Upon reaching the target, the door “opens”, revealing a lyrical video “Ophelia's Fate” Features a unique orange door themed progress bar on YouTube.
Controversy erupted when her fans, famously known as Swifties, found clues to the use of AI in 12 videos that housed clues to the final puzzle.
Video created by AI?
One of the videos about London featured a bartender placing a napkin on a table, but his fingers appeared to be “through the table.”
Barcelona's video included a close-up of a treadmill with buttons with distorted words such as “MOP,” “Suop,” and “Ncline.” These observations clearly suggest that AI was indeed used to create these videos.
Another incident that uses AI in the video is a diary containing a made up letter. Some viewers also complained that “a squirrel turned into a chipmunk” at one point in one of the teasers.
Some of these discrepancies, coupled with looking at the quality of the video, suggest the use of AI. Additionally, Taylor Swift's team has already removed videos fanning the flames regarding the accusations.
Meanwhile, some Swifties made it a point to protect their favorite stars over this issue.
“Everyone uses AI but when Taylor does it it's illegal,” one user tweeted.
Another accused YouTube and Google of the stunt, giving Swift's team a clean chit.
“YouTube is using Gemini to create these videos. Taylor's team did nothing,” the user said.
This debate shines a light on the brutal truths facing humanity today. Everyone, whether ordinary people or celebrities, is rapidly adopting AI, and big tech companies are releasing new generative AI models almost every month.
In light of events like this, Swift's video is a sobering reminder that artists may not be able to avoid AI in their creative pursuits for too long.
